Should JREF organise the 'Religion Shootout'

[a_unique_person]

JREF just has to find a suitable disastrous part of the earth, weather wise, and get representatives of all the religions to do their stuff. Whoever solves the disaster wins.

[MRC_Hans]

Uuuuunhh? How do we find out which prayers (or other mumbo-jumbo) did the trick?

Wait!-- I get it now! THAT'S when the shoot-out starts! :D
... and meanwhile, the rest of the world proceeds peacefully to blissful prosperity. Wonderful idea!


Hans

[swstephe]

I was trying to think of something along those same lines, but you beat me to it. I was actually thinking of a JREF-type challenge. The weather service, (representing science and reason), says that it will rain in Rome on Thursday, August 19th. The pope prayed for rain, so I assume they will declare a miracle if it rains before that date, the sooner the better. Then I thought the Satanists/Cthulu ought to pray for the rain to not come until long after Thursday. I'm thinking 48 hours is fair.

It wouldn't make sense for other religions to pray for the same thing, they wouldn't be able to accept the other ones to claim co-victory ... they would have to start getting specific about date and time and location. I think it is a valid test. Does prayer change the result of the arrival of rain? Lets see how it turns out.

[Yahweh]

Weather is too simple, I'm thinking we should have them ask for something that is truely an act of God, whoever manages to make the sky rain orange Jello gets US$1,000,000 and a fantasy date with God himself (not me, I'm Yahweh, I'm talking about God).

[RCNelson]

swstephe:
The weather service, (representing science and reason), says that it will rain in Rome on Thursday, August 19th.
The next time August 19th comes on a Thursday is next year, Thursday, August 19th 2004. That would make for a hell of a drought!
:eek:

[swstephe]

Boy, talk about getting probed. I've been getting ready for my trip to Bali. I'm leaving tomorrow. Thought about checking out "Yellow Bamboo" for the group, but my wife is still a bit superstitious because she group up in that region. Lots of Americans seem to be so scared of terrorists that they give me dire warnings against going to Bali. I ask them if they feel the same way about New York City. I think the people of Bali are in much more need of tourist dollars than New Yorkers, and I would feel safer over there than over here.

Anyway, you would think someone would actually check out the weather report for themselves. I try to verify my own facts, when I have the time: http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/local/ITXX0067

The date that weather.com is calling for rain, and the *only* thunderstorm for the next 10 days, is Monday, August 18th:

Monday: Partly cloudy, chance of a thunderstorm. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.

... and that's only a 30% chance ... looks like the Satanists have the odds in their favor so far.

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
Uuuuunhh? How do we find out which prayers (or other mumbo-jumbo) did the trick?

Wait!-- I get it now! THAT'S when the shoot-out starts! :D
... and meanwhile, the rest of the world proceeds peacefully to blissful prosperity. Wonderful idea!


Hans

Hmmm, perhaps modelled on fear factor would be good, and we could copyright the idea and sell it to networks. A good money earner for JREF.

We could also do the same for mediums.

I can just see a cardinal having to eat a hundred year old egg now.

[swstephe]

Just got back from Bali yesterday. Asked around about Yellow Bamboo. I was told that Bali was only their "branch office", but the main group is actually in Jakarta. They just maintain the Bali address to avoid the Islamic fundamentalists who would denounce them. I was told they only come to Bali for special events.

Plenty of other stuff there. In Singapore, I saw some people selling the "oxygenated water". I stood right next to the booth telling people it would only be good for you if you were a fresh-water fish. Okay, that was pretty risky behavior for a white foreigner, but I was pretty much ignored.

[Ladewig]

JREF just has to find a suitable disastrous part of the earth, weather wise, and get representatives of all the religions to do their stuff. Whoever solves the disaster wins.

I'm a bit lost. If a typhoon is heading for a specific location and all the major religions pray for it to change course, who gets the credit if it changes course?